Method of making portland cement products



/Nz/EN Tw? ENE IT C. BATCHELLEVR Filed Sept. 9. 1935 mamon or mums ronwm CEMENT rnonuc'rs y muunnnwm N... PO alc i M y ,0. v Q I I l l l W 1.... .i. m. ...n .3... W w /01 W Nv @mm n E.. n nel. LWWITL." l IL lJul" mf, w J v v M I! Jan. 5, 1937.

ricerca Jan. s, 1as1 ,acessso UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcs mamon or suma Penman cmm' i raopucrs cremes manen, clem nu., N. x. spannung september s. 19:5, sem sa. :am zi cium. ici. zs-iss;

My invention relates generally to products containing Portland cement as a bonding agent. and particularly to pressed products of this character which are formed from initially liquid or plastic mixes. More particularly it relates toa method of procedure whereby sheet products of the cement-asbestos type having improved physical characteristics may be economically manufactured.

Almost without exception, all cement-asbestos sheet and shingle products have heretofore been' produced either by the dry-mix process of Charles L. Norton. or the highly tiuid water mixture process of Ludwig Hatschek. Neither of these methods is entirely satisfactory.

Ordinarily, asbestos sheet and shingle products are composed ot simple mixtures of Portland cement, mineral ilbers and water. and the quality depends largely upon the correctness of the water mixing and the mechanical working of the ce# ment constituent.

Those physical characteristics which indicate a satisfactory sheet asbestos product are high ilexural strength, high impermeability as indicated by a high degree of water tightness. and a minimum of brittloness. At very best, cementasbestos products of the above type can only be produced where thecement-ber aggregate is worked, preferably as a plastic mixture. with a correctly established and maintained water cement ratio. and where the mechanical manipulation of the plastic mass is continued for a sumcient length of time.

In order that the importance of a correctly designed and worked water-cement plastic may be understood. so far as these factors control ultimate product quality. the water-cement ratio strength law is here quoted, to wit:

Flor given materials and conditions of manipulation. the strength of concrete is determined solely by the ratio of the volume of the mixing water to the volume of cement. so long as the mixture is plastic and workable."

ratio.

Duetoexcessivelossesinthemachineotthe highly colloidal bonding glues in the cement, and the inability fully to replace and retain them in' the product mass. the making of maximum strength products hy this process is impossible.

. In the Norton process. which is practically the s limited amount of extraneous water added to the dry strip in the process of its machine formation. All the essential factors covering the premixing 1o of a Portland cement concrete are ignored. and are in fact impossible due to the construction ofthe machine employed.

By the method of procedure disclosed herein. I am able to work mechanically the cement agl5 gregate mixture as a plastic instead of the usual either highly tluid or initially dry mix. Furthermore, no appreciable loss of the bonding glues occurs and consequently full ultimate strength products can be made thereby. Not only is my m improved process capable of making products which aie substantially superior to the products made by the older processes but due to the more eiilcient manipulation of the basic materials I have also found that my process. with slight modig5 cations. can produce super-strength products when compared with those heretofore regarded Aas standard. In addition. a great saving is effected not only in the quantity of basic materials required to produce a square of product but a 30 considerable saving is eected in product transportation costs. l

The bonding glues which result from the reaction between Portland cement and water are known chemically as gels. and these are highly g5 colloidal compounds of calcium silicate and calcium aluminate. By my procedure the maximum quantity of these gels is retained in the plastic product mess and I am able to produce concrete products having physical characteristics superior 4o to the best which can be produced from the unworked mixtures of the Norton process or the highly duid mixtures of the Hatschek mixtures. Furthermore. by increasing the calcium silicate and the calcium aluminate contents of my plastic 45 mixtures beyond the points usually indicated in the standard cement formulae I am able to produce an abnormally stro cement.

My process may conveniently be carried out by utilizing the apparatus diagrammatically illustrated in the drawing in which I is an elevated mixing unit into which the dry cement-aggregate mixture is introduced by any suitable means. Within this unit the cement and bers are manipulated by a suitable agitator 2 at appropriate 55 speed and for a sunicient length of time. 'The proper water cement ratio .is established and. constantly maintained in the unit l to produce optimum concrete according to the best known procedure. The gauging fluid, however, which is used to mix the concretes within the unit I does not consist entirely of water as is the universal custom. Instead, a highly colloidal mixture o! by-products from my machine in a water-fluid state plus additions thereto which are later described, is employed. It is largely by reason o! the additions to the usual gauging water that I am able to produce my super-strength products.

when the plastic mass in the unit I has been adequately mixed withI the special gauging fluid, the slide valve 3 may be opened and the plastic mixture will ilow by gravity downwardly through the discharge passage l and be deposited upon the top side of an endless porous belt 5. This belt is preferably a wire screen having about forty meshes to the linear inch.

The belt 5 runs over the rollers l and 1 and is driven in the direction of the arrow preferably by the roller 6. Above the porous belt I are one or more pressure rolls such as shown at 8 and I which are capable of proper vertical adjustment as a means of regulating the rolling pressure upon the plastic mass passing below them on the screen. Around these rollers may be installed, ii desirable, an endless smooth rubber belt ill to prevent any picking up of the plastic by the pressure rolls as it passes beneath them. Under each pressure roll is an appropriate backing roll shown at ii and l2. Intermediate the rst pressure rc-ll 8 and the point where the plastic material is deposited on the screen from the mixing unit I. I prefer to install a rough-forming roll i3 having corrugations running lengthwise thereof. Be-

' neath this rough-forming roll is a backing plate As the plastic cement fiber mix is deposited upon the screen, it is first partially flattened by the rough-forming roll I3 and is thereafter reduced to the requisite thickness primarily by the roll 8 although the roll 9 may also serve in this capacity or it may serve merely as a means for driving roll 8.

In the rolling-pressing operation of the plastic mass there is an appreciable extraction of liquid material from the products being pressed, and naturally, the degree of extraction depends upon the amount of rolling pressure applied to the plastic mass.

In the wet-cylinder equipment typical of the machine sed in the Hatschel: process this liquid extraction would be termed "white water" and would contain a relatively low percentage of cement "lines" and an appreciable percentage of solubles from the cement. Such a condition would prevail because of the prolonged time (about one hour) of water mixing of the productvmaterials in the drum beater which results in a high dissolution of the cement solubles, and because of the fact that the wool carrier belt typical of the wet-cylinder press is not suiliclent- 1y porous to permit the passage therethrough of any appreciable amount of cement nesJ As distinguished from this procedure my base materials, as pointed out above, are mixed as a plastic rather than as a highly fluid mass; the mixing is for a much shorter time (about six minutes); and, due to the relatively high degree oi' porosity of my carrier belt 5, a large percentage of fine cement particles is extracted with the water as the productsare roller-pressed. I

n'd that the extracted materials from my products consist to a high degree of cement "fines" (20D-300 mesh), combined with an appreciable percentage of cement particles which are much nner than 300 mesh, and very, little of .the oement solubles.

In other words, due to the relatively short time taken for the mixing of my plastic mass as compared with the Hatschek wet cylinder method, the percentage of cement solubles in my extracted iluid is very low and hence the products are not lacking in gel structure. However, it is important in the making of my super-strength products. that a maximum percentage of all material waste which is the result oi machine fabrication be returned to the mix, but preferably, not until it has been further manipulated and fortlfled `as hereinafter described. Below the belt 5. and within the zone where the iluid extracted from the pressed products passes through the belt, is disposed an appropriate receptacle 'II which discharges through a pipe Il into a suitable trough il. From the trough Il the material ows through the pipe i8 into the unit represented generally at il. Preferably, all of the byproducts resulting from the trimming or other treatment of the plastic sheet produced by the machine are delivered. while plastic, to the unit I! although it is to be understood that thetrimmings may. if desired, be delivered directly to the mixing unit l before the cement has taken its initial set.

The unit I9 may consist of a modified colloid mill of the beater type or any high speed disintegrator mill capable o! forming suitable dispersion-emulsions of the materials fed into it. The

initial function oi this unit is to create from the extracted waste products, consisting of ilne cement particles and those portions of the cement that have gone into solution with the gauging water, as highly a gelatinized mass as is possible by rapidly working the materials within the unit, in combination with the additions thereto described below. The unit i9 discharges through the pipe 20. and in the embodiment shown, a centrifugal pump 2i is provided for returning the material eventually to the mixing unit I. Instead of discharging the dispersed material directly into the mixer I, it is delivered into a chest 22 which is equipped with a suitable agitator 23 to prevent any possible settling oi the ingredients during their temporary storage here.

kIt is to be understood that the chest 22 is equipped with appropriate poidometer measuring units whereby the volume of the gauging iluid for each base mix oi the cement aggregate in the mixer I may be regulated and controlled to establish and maintain therein the correct water cement ratio to produce optimum concrete products.

If my invention were to stop here with the incorporation in subsequent mixes of the cement nes", solubles and other waste after they have been subjected to a dispersion treatment in the unit I9, I would obviously be able to ellect in my product a higher retention oi the essential bonding glues than by any manipulatory procedure of the prior art, due to a higher degree ci gelatinization of the waste materials in the dispersion mill as compared with the usual and longer procedures characteristic of the drum beater.

It is a fact well known to those versed in the art of manipulating water-cement-iiber mixtures that prolonged mixing, such as is effected within the usual drum beater, will produce a envia-n... i i

semi-gelatlnizd einer upon the highly num mixture provided sumcient time is taken to produce this condition. In order to produce this effect it is the present custom to use a highly retarded cement to insure that an initial set will not take place before the product has been machine processed. Since my improved process is rapid and continuous, it is possible to overcome this defect in product mixing which is necessarily attendant upon the use of the drum beater.

I have found that a very rapid dispersion of the extracted and other waste cement-fiber materials, including those in solution, can be effected by the unit i8 if there is added to these materials, as a dispersing agent, a. small quantity of bentonite: say from 1% to 3% of the total solids in the mixture delivered to the unit i9. Bentonite is a clay composed of exceedingly ne particles of colloidal or near-colloidal dimensions, which when dispersed in water. form suspensions that settle extremely slowly. When dry, it may absorb nearly five times its weight of water and swell up to thirteen times its dry bulk. It is not a definite mineral. but, depending on its purity, contains varying amounts of the mineral montmorillonite, a hydrous silicate of alumina, lime and magnesia, characterized by crystallization in minute :lakes of micaceous form having a high degree of cleavage. and to which it owes lts peculiar properties. The name, bentonite, was given many years ago to clay of this type from Rock Creek, Wyoming, and, more recently, v arious other place and trade names. such as. shoshonite, amargosite, otaylite, ardmorite, elconite, wllkinite, volclay, aquagel, etc.. have been used to designate particular bentonite clays. Hence, the term bentonite, as used herein and in the appended claims, is to be understood as meaning any colloidal clay of the well known bentonitic type.

While my process of initially mixing and fabricating mv cement aggregate mixtures as a plastic mass differs radically from all other processes or procedures at present employed, it will also be possible to produce a more rapid gelatinized condition in the usual highly fluid drum beater mixture of cement fibers by the addition thereto of the dispersing-emulsifying agent bentonite, and the customary mixing time thereby reduced some 50% or more. Hence, it is to be understood that my invention, insofar as this particular phase thereof is concerned, is by no means limited to the treatment of the cement-aggregate mix as a plastic mass.

An additionally important feature of my invention lies in the improved manner of liquid gauging rry cement aggregate mixtures and in the preparation of the gauging liquid itself. While standard cement aggregate mixtures when gauged with clear water will produce products having satisfactory physical qualities according to the present standards, I have found that products having much better physical properties in all respects can be manufactured by substituting for clear water the highly colloidal, semi-gelatinized gauging fluid produced by my process with the added bentonite.

By a slight modification of the foregoing, I am able to produce a fortified super" cement which is capable of producing products in many instances having a transverse strength practically double those produced by the prior art methods. For example. products made by the present processes and which vshow a modulus of rupture of 4,500 pounds per square inch are considered "satisfactory". 0n the other hand, products made by theuse of the modified ganging liquid hereinafter described have shown a,4 modulus of rupture better than 10,000 pounds per square inch. 5

Such extraordinarily strong products may be produced by the addition to the gauging duid mixture of a limited quantity of special Portland cement of the type generally referred to as "early strength cement. In cements of this l0 type I prefer to use one of the "high alumina type although cements oi' the "fine ground" type also answer my purpose.

My selection of such cements is in no sense due -to the fact that they acquire a much earlier 15 initial strength than do cements of standard formula, but because of the greater neness of their cement particles. their higher degree of solubility. the facility with which they are sus pended in water and their higher aluminum sili- 20 cate content. These factors render them far more eiIective in producing a semi-gelatinization of the colloid mixture and. in addition, they form a better dispersion-emulsion with the bentonite which I use as a dispersing agent.

In utilizing early strength cement of the high alumina type in my gauging fluid above described, I prefer to feed the cement continuously into the unit Ilfrom a suitable container such as shown at 2l. The ilow from such container 3 is so regulated that the added cement shall at no time greatly exceed about 3% of the solids in the fluid charge to the unit. That is to say.

,the added dry cement ought not Ato exceed approxlmarely 3% of the total solids delivered to 85 the unit i9 from the machine. plus the added bentonite which is also delivered continuously to the unit i9 from a suitable receptacle, such as that shown at 25.

In addition to the advantages above set forth. 40 the use of early strengt nements, due to the increased percentage of cement "nes. produce concrete of greater density and consequently higher structural strength than can be obtained by using the more coarsely ground standard 45 cements.

While I have shown above that my process makes it possible to retain within the cement aggregate mixture a maximum of the cement'l constituents whereby products of unusual 50 strength are produced, I have found that my special gauging fluid, especially when fortied by the' addition of the early strength cement. produces, in the case of roofing shingles for example, such a superhard product as seriously to 55 alterl certain of their physical properties, especially their flexibility. This superhard condition, where objectionable in certain types of products, can be prevented by taking advantage of some of the features disclosed in my copendso ing application Serial No. 703,845, now Patent 2,041,041, particularly those which cover the integral mixing of small quantities of bituminous emulsion with a water plastic composition of mineral fibers and Portland cement. The addi- 05 tion to my gauging uid of small percentages of asphalt emulsion, always less than 3% and preferably about 1%, will correct this superhard condition.

4 aooauo ents charged into the unit. Preferably, however. I prefer to use an asphalt emulsion in which colloidal clay has been used as the dispersing agent by reason of the fact that the same agent is'used in the preparation of the cement cla! emulsion. l

It is to be understood. of course. that the intraduction ot such small quantities o! asphalt. initially. in the form oi an emulsion as a means oi eilecting certain physical improvements in the products in no way detracts from the advantages otherwise obtained by my improved procedure.

While my process is substantially a continuous forming-pressing of the plastic sheet product from successive batch, mixes o! the plastic iurnished by the unit I, and I have stated that my product through the medium of a special ganging liquid contains those materials extracted from the plastic forming sheet under mechanical pressure. it is tc be understood that when my process is placed in initial sheet production from the plastic of the ilrst or initial batch mix that such sheet products as are formed from this initial mix must necessarily be devoid of any by-products from my machine. That is to say. the special gauging liquid produced by the unit i9 and 4uziecl i'cr gauging the initial batch mix will be devoid of any iluid or semi-i'iuid extractions from the product ci the initial batch mix, and likewise of any plastic trim resulting from formingpressing or side trimming ot the product of the initial batch mix.

The liquid, and the solids, such as une 'cement particles and mineral ibers, including those solids which have gone into solution, or are held in a water suspension, accumulating from the pressing-forming of the ilrst batch mix. while absent from the products formed from the iirst batch mix, will be understood to be included in the gauging liquid of the second. and all successive batch mixes, through the medium of unit i9. Likewise all plastic trimmings resulting from the plastic sheet formation may be added to the second and successive batch mixes through unit i9, or they may be added directly to a batch mix in the unit I as outlined in my description.

While I have described my invention in its pre- Ierred embodiments, it is to be understood that the words which l have used are words oi' description rather than of limitation and that changes within the purview or' the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit oi my invention in its broader aspects.

What I claim is:

l. That step in the method ot making products from workable mixes containing Portland cement as a bonding agent which comprises incorporating in the mix a small quantity oi colloidal clay as a dispcrsing agent.

2. That step in the method of making products from a workable mix containing Portland cement as a bonding agent whichcomprises subjecting a liquid mixture oi the cement to a dispersive treatment in the presence of a dispersing agent.

3. Those steps in the method of making pressed products from plastic mixes containing Portland cement which comprise subjecting said products while plastic to pressure sumcient to eilect an extraction of material therefrom, segregating the material extracted from said products during the pressing thereof, incorporating Portland cement and a small quantity ot colloidal clay therewith. subjecting the mixture to a dispersive treatment.

and incorporating the treated material in lubsequent mixes.

4. Those steps in the method of making pressed sheet products from plastic mixes containing Portland cement as a bonding agent which comprise subjecting said products while plastic to pressure sumcient to effect an extraction o! material therefrom, segregating the material extracted from said products during the pressing thereof, adding thereto a small quantity o! Portland cement. subjecting the mixture to a dispersive treatment. and incorporating the treated material in subsequent mixes.

5. Those steps in the method oi making pressed sheet products from plastic mixes containing Portland cement as a bonding agent which comprise subjecting said products while plastic to pressure sumcient to eilect an extraction of material therefrom, segregating the material extracted from said products during the pressing thereof, adding thereto a small quantity of asphalt emulsion. subjecting the mixture to a dispersive treatment, and incorporating the treated material in subsequent mixes.

6. Those steps in the method oi making pressed sheet products from plastic mixes containing Portland cement as a bonding agent which comprise subjecting said products while plastic to pressure sutilcient to effect an extraction of material therefrom. segregating the material extracted from said products during the pressing thereof, adding thereto small quantities o! asphalt emulsion and Portland cement. subjecting the mixture to a dispersive treatment. and incorporating the treated material in subsequent mixes.

'1. Those steps in the method of making pressed sheet products from plastic mixes containing Portland cement as a bonding agent which comprise subjecting said products while plastic to pressure sumcient to eilect an extraction of matexiai therefrom. segregating the material extracted from said products during the pressing thereof. adding thereto small quantities of asphalt emulsion and colloidal clay, subjecting the mixture to a dispersive treatment. and incorporating the treated material in subsequent mixes.

8. Those steps in the method of making pressed sheet products from plastic mixes containing Portland cement as a bonding agent which cornprise subjecting said products while plastic to pressure smiicicnt to eiect an extraction of material therefrom. segregating the material extracted from said products during the pressing thereot, adding thereto small quantities o! Portland ccment, colloidal clay and asphalt emulsion. subjecting the mixture to a dispersive treatment, and incorporating the material in subsequent mixes.

9. That step in the manufacture of products from plastic mixes containing Portland cement as a bonding agent which comprises incorporating in the gauging liquid for said mixes a dispersionemulsion oi Portland cement.

10. Those steps in the making of pressed products from plastic mixes containing Portland cement as a bonding agent which comprise rough forming said products by pressure suiilcient to extract material therefrom, subjecting the material extracted from said products during the pressing operation to a dispersive treatment. and incorporating the treated material together with the waste solid materal from said products while plastic in subsequent mixes.

ll. That step in the maxing of cement-asbestos sheet products which comprises intermixing the ingredients to be used in making said products in the presence of a dispersing-emulsifyin agent.

12. Those steps in the method of making pressed products from water plastic mixes con' taining Portland cement which comprise subjecting said products while plastic to pressure sumcient to effect an extraction of fluent material therefrom, and incorporating the extracted material in subsequently formed products.

13. 'Ihose steps in the making of pressed products from plastic mixes containing Portland cement which comprise subjecting said products while plastic to pressure sufiicient to effect an extraction of material therefrom, subjecting said material to a dispersive treatment. and thereafter incorporating it in subsequently formed products.

14. Those steps in the making of pressed products from workable mixes containing Portland cement which comprise segregating the waste materials resulting from the formation of said products, subjecting them to a dispersive treatment, and thereafter incorporating them in subsequently formed products.

15. 'I'hose steps in the method of making pressed products from water plastic mixes containing Portland cement which comprise subjecting said products while plastic to pressure sutilcient to effect an extraction of uent material therefrom and incorporating the extracted fluent material in the gauging liquid for subsequent mixes.

16. 'Ihat step in the method of making sheet products from a workable mixture containing Portland cement which comprises subjecting a mixture of the cement and water to a dispersingemulsifying treatment in the presence of bentonite.

17. Those steps in the method of making pressed products from plastic mixes containing Portland cement which comprise forming the gauging liquid for said mixes by intermixing Portland cement, water, a small quantity of bentonite and a small quantity of asphalt emulsion and subjecting the mixture to a dispersive treatment.

18. Those steps in the method of making pressed products from plastic mixes containing Portland cement which comprise forming the gauging liquid for said mixes by intermixlng Portland cement, water. and a small quantity of ben-9 tonite and subjecting the mixture to a dispersive treatment.

19. Those steps in the method of making pressed sheet products from plastic mixes containing Portland cement as a bonding agent which comprise subjecting said products while plastic to pressure suicient to effect an extraction of material therefrom, segregating the material extracted from said products during the initial pressing thereof, trimming the edges of said products while plastic, subjecting said extracted material together with the unset plastic trimmings from said products to a dispersive treatment and incorporating the product of the treatment in subsequent mixes.

20. Those steps in the method of making pressed sheet products from plastic mixes containing Portland cement as a bonding agent which comprise subjecting said products while plastic to pressure sufhcient to effect an extraction of material therefrom, segregating the material extracted from said products during the initial pressing thereof, trimming the edges of said products while plastic, subjecting said extracted material together with the unset plastic trimmings from said products to a dispersive treatment in the presence of bentonite, and incorporating the material so treated in subsequent mixes.

21. Those steps in the making of pressed products from .water plastic mixes containing Portland -cement and asbestos fibers which comprise subjecting said products while plastic to pressure suiiicient to extract iluent material therefromI and incorporating said fluent material in subsequently formed products.

CLEMENTS BATCHELLER. 

